Christopher Moltisanti

Christopher Moltisanti (1969-2007) was a caporegime of the DiMeo crime family under Tony Soprano. Moltisanti was taken in by Soprano after his father's murder, and he was groomed as his successor. However, Moltisanti's drug and alcohol addictions led to him losing favor with Soprano, who killed him after a car accident in 2007.

Biography
Christopher Moltisanti was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1969, the son of DiMeo crime family soldier Richard "Dickie" Moltisanti and Joanne Blundetto. His father was killed when he was very young, being shot by detective Barry Haydu as he brought TV trays into the house. Moltisanti, a distant cousin of DiMeo boss Tony Soprano, was taken in as his "nephew", and Soprano acted as Moltisanti's father figure. Moltisanti's narcissism, volatility, and impulsiveness made him prone to overstepping his authority. While working as an associate in Tony Soprano's crew, he hijacked trucks under the protection of Junior Soprano with the help of his friend Brendan Filone. To teach Moltisanti a lesson, Soprano had Mikey Palmice murder Filone, while Moltisanti was subjected to a mock execution.

Moltisanti would nearly be killed in 2000 when fellow associates Matthew Bevilacqua and Sean Gismonte attempted to kill him in a drive-by shooting at the Skyway Diner in Kearny in an attempt to gain favor with capo Richie Aprile, an enemy of Moltisanti. However, he survived this attempt, killing Gismonte on the scene; Bevilacqua was later executed by Tony Soprano and Salvatore Bonpensiero. Moltisanti would be entrusted with sensitive tasks such as disposing of the bodies of Aprile and Ralph Cifaretto, and he arranged the later-cancelled hit on Carmine Lupertazzi Sr.. After the hit was called off, Moltisanti had the would-be hitmen Credenzo Curtis and Stanley Johnson whacked in the Meadowlands. This led to Moltisanti becoming a made man, and he would develop an occasional rivalry with Paulie Gualtieri.

Moltisanti had several personal problems, becoming a drug and alcohol addict, and spending time at Alcoholics Anonymous and rehabilitation centers. He had an abusive relationship with his fiancee Adriana La Cerva, but he threatened to kill Tony Soprano after it was rumored that he was having an affair with her. Soprano considered killing his nephew for this insult, but Tony Blundetto convinced Tony to spare Moltisanti. Later, Moltisanti regained Soprano's trust by allowing for Silvio Dante to kill La Cerva after it was discovered that she was an FBI informant.

Nevertheless, Moltisanti's immaturity and frequent drug problems made him liable to turn states against the family, and Soprano feared that he would not be a suitable successor. Ironically, Moltisanti's attempts to stay clear of drugs and alcohol led to him spending less time with the Mafia family, increasing Soprano's suspicions against him. Moltisanti later married Kelli Lombardo and had a daughter, Caitlyn, and he attempted to become a Hollywood screenwriter, even making his own film, Cleaver, with Carmine Lupertazzi Jr..

Death
Soon, it became apparent that Moltisanti had fallen out of Soprano's favor, as Bobby Baccalieri was now being groomed as Soprano's successor. As Moltisanti drove Soprano back from a meeting with Phil Leotardo in his Cadillac Escalade, a stoned Moltisanti crashed the car. After getting out, Soprano saw a tree branch impaling a car seat where Moltisanti's daughter could have been sitting, and an infuriated Soprano pinched Moltisanti's nostrils shut, leading to him choking to death on his own blood.